Scratch Mobile Kitchen's pork belly sandwich is a monster

Tools

Don’t read too much into Scratch Mobile Kitchen's name, as being self-contained (i.e., all cooking/storage on truck) limits what Scratch can truly make from scratch, so breads are bought as are precut fries, etc. But co-owner Jillian Lovelace notes several items they do make, like a blueberry barbecue sauce on my pork belly sandwich ($12), and a jalapeño raspberry jam for my three-cheese grilled cheese ($8), each with fries. They’re slammed with a line outside Penrose Hospital when we catch them; we wait about 15 minutes. With buttery sourdough and the richness of white cheddar, Munster and cream cheeses, plus the jelly’s sweet heat, the grilled cheese acts like elevated children’s fare. But the pork belly’s all grown up, with layers of beautifully prepared fat, slow-cooked and awesomely unctuous, hit with a sear for char and offset by fresh crunchy slaw and onion straws on a glossy brioche bun that struggles to contain the party; restrained blueberry bbq sauce means no cloying sweetness.